Catalysis for intermediate temperature chemical production and relevance to protonic ceramic electrochemical cells

Chemical production processes utilizing electricity have made remarkable progress in the past few decades. The future success of these processes remains dependent on innovative catalyst development. Specifically, chemical production using electrochemical cells operated at intermediate temperatures, particularly protonic ceramic systems, represents an emerging but promising pathway where the catalysts share similarities with the heterogenous catalysts used in the conventional thermal catalytic setting. They typically involve solid materials that provide active sites for the reactions to occur with thermal requirements, thus enhancing reaction rates and/or selectivity. Common materials used for these catalysts include metals, metal oxides, and composite materials. The key difference lies in the operating environments, as electrochemical cells operate under electrochemical conditions (with an applied voltage) rather than purely thermal conditions. There are always growing reports on new materials suitable for chemical production with improved performance. This book chapter has selected a few widely studied catalytic chemical conversions that may benefit from ongoing material science and catalysis innovations and the rapid deployment of protonic ceramic electrochemical cells for scalable chemical production. The topics covered in this chapter include the conversion of carbon dioxide, ammonia synthesis, and light alkane dehydrogenation. Here, a survey of recent progress will aim to highlight current knowledge and outstanding obstacles for future directions.